The Bible and Original Sin 1

“In Christian theology the state of sin into which everyone is born as a result of the fall of Adam...According to this, Adam’s sin has been transmitted from parent to child ever since. The human race has thus become a ‘lump of sin’ (massa damnata).” JOHN BOWKER. “original sin.” The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, 1997 Encyclopedia.com 2 O RIGINAL S IN

“Original sin may be taken to mean: (1) the sin that Adam committed; (2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam. From the earliest times the latter sense of the word was more common, as may be seen by St. Augustine’s statement: ‘the deliberate sin of the first man is the cause of original sin…’” New Advent Encyclopedia, “Original Sin”, 3 O RIGINAL S IN

“Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit....By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.” -The Westminster Confession of Faith Ch. VI, 1-2; The Book Of Confessions, O RIGINAL S IN

“From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.” -The Westminster Confession of Faith Ch. VI, 4; The Book Of Confessions, O RIGINAL S IN

“Original sin is the genetic defect we all inherited from Adam and Eve. Through this genetic defect we all inherited death -- both physical and spiritual – and were separated from God. Through Jesus Christ, we all have the ability to conquer this genetic defect – sin and death – and be reconnected to God eternally.” - 6 O RIGINAL S IN

“ original sin the tendency to evil supposedly innate in all human beings, held to be inherited from Adam in consequence of the Fall. The concept of original sin was established by the writings of St Augustine and the view of some early theologians that the human will is capable of good without the help of divine grace was branded a heresy.” ELIZABETH KNOWLES. “original sin.” The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 2006 Encyclopedia.com 7 O RIGINAL S IN

1.The whole human race sinned in Adam when he sinned. Adam’s will was the will of the race, so that all men sinned in Adam and rebelled with him when he sinned. 2.When Adam sinned, human nature was corrupted, so that now all men are born with a sinful nature. 3.This sinful nature is the fountain and direct cause of all of man’s sins. Man sins by nature and cannot help but sin. 8 O RIGINAL S IN

4.Because of Adam’s transgression, all men are guilty, under the just “wrath and curse of God,” and are liable to the “pains of hell forever.” 5.Even newborn babies open their eyes in this world under the “wrath and curse” of God. They are guilty and condemned from the moment of their birth. -Are Men Born Sinners?, A.T. Overstreet, chap. 3 THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN 9 O RIGINAL S IN

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 God created man and woman without sin, Gen. 1:26-27; 2:25  Adam and Eve chose to sin, Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-6 (1 Tim. 2:14)  Sin entered the world through Adam, and with it, death through sin, Rom. 5:12  Death (spiritual) passed to all men “because all sinned”, Rom. 5:12 11 M AN AND S IN

 Individual, Ezek. 18:4, 20 (Gen. 2:17)  Consequences of individuals’ sins often affect others – even future generations, Exo. 20:5 (34:7); Num. 14:32-34  Physical death is a consequence of Adam’s sin that passes to us all, Gen. 3:19 (Eccl. 12:7) 12 S IN AND I TS G UILT

 Sin is chosen and committed, not inherited, Rom. 5:12; 3:23; Jas. 1:14  God made man upright; we go away from God, Eccl. 7:29; Rom. 3:12  Children are innocent, not cursed, Matt. 18:3  Paul’s innocence was in childhood, Rom. 7:9 13 N OT B ORN WITH S INFUL N ATURE

 What about Jesus? Heb. 2:14, 17  Some say virgin birth exempted Him  If so, what about Mary? Matt. 1:23  RCC: Immaculate Conception of Mary  Bible: Jesus, like us, was not born with the guilt of sin, Heb. 2:14, 17  Bible: Jesus is the “Son of Man”, Luke 19:10 14 N OT B ORN WITH S INFUL N ATURE

 Sin is not inherited  Sinful nature is not inherited  Sin is committed, practiced, lived in  Righteousness is not inherited, Rom. 1:16-17; 3:21-26  Faithful nature is not inherited  Faith is practiced, lived in 15 R EDEMPTION FROM S IN

 Job mourns life’s brevity and travail  His complaint: Life is “full of trouble”  Asks God to “look away” and allow him to perish rather than prolong life’s pain, 14:6,  A flower that fades, 14:2  Original sin has the flower faded from the start!  Job was “blameless and upright”, not sinful in nature and under wrath, Job 1:8 16 J OB 14:1-4

 David was surrounded by sin from conception  David had been surrounded by sin from conception – even his mother had sinned  He confessed his own sins, not Adam’s, Psa. 51:1-4, 7  Did not know good or evil as child, Deut. 1:39  Consumed by sin from birth…speaking lies, Psa. 58:3 (complete wickedness) 17 P SALM 51:5

 No one is righteous (sinlessly perfect)  Because “all have sinned”, Rom. 3:23  Nothing here about Adam’s sin  Nothing here about inheriting sin, guilt and wrath as a result of Adam’s sin 18 R OMANS 3:10

 Death in Adam, Life in Christ  Death passes to each one the same way it came upon Adam, 5:12  Adam is a type of Christ:  Just as Adam was the door through which sin and death came into the world,  Christ is the door through whom grace and justification came into world, Rom. 5: R OMANS 5:12-19

 Death in Adam, Life in Christ  If this verse teaches universal guilt and wrath (in Adam), then  It teaches universal justification (Christ) Rom. 5:19  Voluntary reception of spiritual death (choice of sin), Rom. 5:12  Voluntary reception of grace (through faith), Rom. 5:17, 19, R OMANS 5:12-19

 Bodily death and resurrection  Body dies as the result of (consequence of) Adam’s sin, Gen. 3:19  If this verse is original sin, then it is also universal salvation, 1 Cor. 15: C OR. 15:21-22

 By nature children of wrath  “Walked” in sin, being “disobedient”, 2:2  Lustful conduct, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, 2:3  Nature: “habit, course of conduct”, properties  Practice sin…child of wrath  Practice righteousness…child of God, 1 Jno. 2:29 22 E PHESIANS 2:3

 All their lifetime subject to bondage  Not until knowledge of and practice of sin, Deut. 1:39; Rom. 7:9  This verse refutes original sin, since Jesus shared in flesh and blood with us, Heb. 2:17  Jesus never chose to sin – we did!  He was “flesh and blood” to become the sacrifice for our sins, Heb. 10:5, H EBREWS 2:14-15

 The soul who sins shall die, Ezekiel 18:20  The sins you have committed bring God’s wrath upon you  So, cast away all your sins, repent and live, Ezek. 18:30-32; Acts 2: M AN AND S IN